Finally doing it

After years of being lazy I have decided to finish my bachelors degree. Im looking very hard at Aspen University. Is it still regarded in high esteem? I feel like its the right program fit for me.

 

Depends on who you ask.

 

It depends on who you ask and what your ultimate goal is.

An A.S. from the community college where I teach is great if it furthers your goals. If you achieve it (as a standalone credential) and hope that it brings you closer to your goal of working in investment banking you are probably going to be disappointed.

My preference for a bachelors is always for RA schools. However, if you feel an NA school would help you achieve your goals then I would probably consider Penn Foster and Ashworth if only for their low cost.

 

University of the People DETC is free - almost free.

 

Or, if cost is a really (de)pressing issue, you could opt for the zero-tuition BSBA at University of the People. It's NA (DEAC) and there's only one catch - $100 exam fee for each course. I don't think anyone on this side of the world is going to charge you less than that $4,000 figure. Oh wait a minute - you have an Associate degree already - so make that $2,000! And I believe that textbooks are included - the school is big on open access learning materials. U of the People is here: University of the People

At just slightly less than $2,000, there's fully accredited Don Bosco U. in India. UGC, AICTE, the whole nine yards. BBA or Computer Application degrees. The school is run by a Roman Catholic religious order.
Here's the URL.Don Bosco Global | DBU Global

I won't foray into the "high esteem" subject, but they're both real - and honest - schools, fully accredited. Low-end pricing doesn't always mean a low-end school. :smile:

J

 

It always seemed that most had good things to say about Aspen on this forum. I don't care much for the RA vs NA thing. I think its way over hyped. I bet you money that unless your at a big name school LSU, UT etc that no cares if you went to Aspen or Walden. I have a job at a CC and they could care less if your degree is from an NA school as long as its legit and not a career school. It seems the people who care most about the RA thing is people with an RA degree.

One thing I can tell you for 100% for sure is my degree at AJU (NA) was a extremely challenging. DETC schools require proctored exams and I was forced to learn or fail. My RA degree was a cake walk and I never even took one proctored exam, not one.

I do care about reputation, so if we have some members here who have had good experiences or even bad ones it would be great to hear about them. Sadly it appears that New Charter is a shell of what Andrew Jackson once was, it would be so much easier to finish at the place where I have tons of credit hours but I'm not even sure how that place is still up and running.

 

Two things, I was under the impression that University of the People do not accept transfer credits. So having an associates wouldn't help you at all. Maybe that's changed and I'm unaware but that's how it was in the months just before they received DEAC accreditation.

As for NA schools requiring proctoring versus RA schools I have a funny (not the "haha" kind) of anecdote.

When I was at the University of Scranton it was not uncommon for a proctored final exam to be proctored by someone other than your professor (those proctored by your professors were often blue book exams or, more often than not, take home finals).

Anyway, after my first semester I kept noticing this Filipino gentleman who would show up on exam day despite my never having seen him in class (my first thought was to the movie Summer School where a guy goes to the bathroom at the beginning of the movie and returns for the final, six weeks later, and gets the highest score). What was interesting was that he was there for every single final I had.

A few weeks after finals it becomes clear that people were hiring other people to take their final exams. This guy would simply show up and take the exam (no ID required) for a fee. I figured the scam was done with after that first semester.Then, at the end of the second semester, there he was again in every single final.

I never heard of another major cheating upset. And, years later, I would learn from some of my friends that the scam simply changed a little. People who audited the course were included on the exam list because they had the option to take the exam. So the test takers would audit the class and show up presenting their actual ID. But they would sign the name of the person who paid them on the actual exam. I believe now those auditing cannot take the final without approval (or at a minimum do not appear on the exam attendee list).

Meanwhile, down the road Penn Foster (formerly Thompson Education Direct, first place winner of the worst college name contest) had a system that was harder to crack.

People will always cheat. In every program they will find a way to cheat if they are motivated enough. But for some reason the insufficient prevention systems in place at many B&M universities are seldom criticized while online programs (many of which are using plagiarism software and uproctor) are more heavily scrutinized.

 

Sounds to me like you already have it figured out in your head. I say go for it, you're not needing this for career advancement (according to your post above) and NA is more rigorous than RA (If it was me, then I would go with the easier degree-but if you want to be challenged then pick the more difficult option) so you've got the academics figured out.

Good choice.

 

And just how did you come up with this gem? Are you really saying degree programs from Aspen, Columbia Southern, University of the People, etc., are more rigorous than programs from such schools as Penn State, University of Florida, University of Virginia, etc.?

Seriously???

 

If you think one is so much better than the other I can't help you. If im doing a degree for myself why would I spend 10 to 30 times as much? Im only asking about a degree and you attack me, Its cool Im not letting you drag me down. I merely compared two degrees I received.


So thanks a bunch!

I had heard lots of good stuff about aspen at one time...if thats not the case so be it. UofP is a nightmare to navigate right now from what I hear. That and the whole no credit thing.
.....

 

I never said that btw

 

My error, b4cz28. Neuhaus is right. Too bad that you can't get credit at U. of the People for your Associates. I've heard good things and I admire the founder for his ambition, leadership and superb capability - but I don't think you want to deny yourself credit for the Associate's degree you've already earned.

I've nothing against Aspen at all. If your mind's made up - go for it. But since you like NA schools, here's another you might also take a look at, before making your final decision. California Coast U. They're OK with transfer credits (and I think Aspen is, too) and I've heard from grads who were enthusiastic about the school - including a couple enthusiastic enough to re-enrol for grad degrees there. They're at Accredited Online Education | Online Degree Programs - California Coast University. Please note: I have no employment or student affiliation with any US school whatsoever. I went to college and Uni. here in Canada. Nobody pays me for recommending schools ... or skewering/lampooning some I don't like. I do both out of the goodness of my heart :smile:

Just thought I should throw that in.

J

 

Thanks a bunch I had forgotten about them, as I recall abner attended there as well as Aspen. Is abner still active on the board?

 

If all else fails, there is still hope. Try the prestigious South Harmon Institute of Technology, link right here: South Harmon Institute of Technology. :bandit:

 

speechless

 

I think that "speechless" might be taken out of context. I mean I'm speechless someone would invest the time into that site lol. Anyways I'm not cool enough to get in.

:banana::banana::banana:

 

In case you didn't know, it is the fictional college from the comedy "Accepted" which was a movie that was in theaters about a decade ago.

 

b4cz28 - Another one you might look at. Independence University. Like Penn Foster, it's been around under one name or another since 1891. NA - but different accreditor -ACCSC. It's a real school - no old-movie pranks. :smile: "South Harmon" was pretty good, though!

Graduate Degree Programs - Undergraduate - Independence University

It's the former California College of Health Sciences. They have health care, business, IT and graphic arts degree programs. Pretty sure they'll do transfer credits, but always wise to check.

Didn't check tuition rates. See what you think... :smile:

J

 

Former President David Lady's current CV on LinkedIn says, regarding Aspen:

"Transformed a little school with a big reputation into a big school with a great reputation. So much so it got bought by some big wall street folks."

Oh.

The Aspen website says the following. I'd be interested in knowing what's up.

"In compliance with Federal regulations, Aspen University is not currently admitting students in any academic program if the student resides in the following states; Arkansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin or Maryland. Additionally, for students in the Master of Science in Nursing (including the RN to MSN Bridge program), and the Master of Arts in Psychology and Addiction Counseling, the University is not currently admitting students residing in the state of Massachusetts or North Carolina."